BelowTheMean – Stryde Femurs w/ Dr. Debiparshad – Nov 2020

Recently, I measured myself at 169.5cm (5’6.7″) in the morning and 168cm (5’6.1″) before bed using a box and tape measure to mark my wall. Planning to achieve an 8cm increase, I aim to maximize the nail’s potential, transitioning from 169cm to 177cm. Ultimately, reaching a height where my eye level aligns better with others is my primary goal, and I believe proportions are secondary. Despite concerns about losing muscle and gaining fat since March 2020, affecting my athletic abilities, I remain optimistic about regaining fitness post-surgery.

Engaging in endurance sports in the past, I have shifted focus from running due to knee concerns, making post-LL performance in such activities less relevant. Snowboarding and skiing, known for high post-lengthening recovery rates, are endeavors I look forward to. Stretching daily for the past month and incorporating pre-op stretches from various sources are part of my preparation routine.

Having known about CLL for years, my decision to proceed was influenced by personal experiences that heightened height-related self-consciousness. Height dysphoria has been a persistent issue, impacting various aspects of my life. While I haven’t disclosed the surgery to many, post-surgery assistance plans involve hiring a part-time home health aide for initial support. Financially, the surgery will delay my path to financial independence by about 5 months.

Currently working remotely due to the pandemic, I strategically chose the end of the year for lengthening to benefit from holidays and minimize work commitments. Transitioning back to the office post-surgery, potential height changes may go unnoticed by colleagues due to prolonged absence. Engaging with Dr. D for the procedure stemmed from efficient communication and confidence in his expertise.

As I embark on this journey, inspired by others’ journals, I aim to contribute my experience to the community. Embracing pre-op preparations with stretching routines and logistical organization, I am eager to commence this transformative phase and look forward to the support and insights from fellow members during the challenging moments ahead.

Greetings everyone, I will be doing Stryde bilateral femurs with Dr. Debiparshad approximately one month from now. Therefore, I’m starting a journal to document this process as many have before me. I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to write a journal at first as I’d like to keep this procedure as private as possible, but having read so many of these over the years and having learned so much from past patients’ experiences, I thought it was only right to do my part and give back to the community as well. Also, Dr. D still doesn’t have that many data points on here yet, so I thought it was especially important to add my contribution to the mix.

This will likely not be a daily journal, but I will try to make as many updates as my schedule allows. I plan to detail both the good and bad as accurately as I can, and really dive into what I think about the process and my personal experience living with legs of varying degrees of functionality over the next few months. I’m not sure if I’ll post any media yet as I want to remain as anonymous as possible (as I mentioned) but I might change my mind on that a bit over time. Also, if you see me being vague about exact dates, it’s on purpose. However, if you have any questions for me I’ll try to answer them to the best of my ability.

I measured myself at 169.5cm (5’6.7″) first thing in the morning and 168cm (5’6.1″) before bed. I stood under a box, marked the wall with a pencil, then used a tape measure. I actually forgot to ask what my measured height was during my in-person consultation, but I think my own measurements are fine. I also left the two marks on the wall so I can compare them to my final height when I’m done lengthening.

I will be going for the full 8cm. As long as my bone growth isn’t so fast as to risk premature consolidation I’m willing to slow down considerably toward the end, at the cost of increasing the duration of the lengthening phase. I plan to get the full value out of my nail as long as I am able to physically. For simplicity sake, I’m just going to say I’m going from 169cm to 177cm. With dress shoes or thick-soled sneakers I’d be comfortable calling myself 180cm (5’11”) which is more than enough for me.

Overall, I don’t care too much about proportions as I think the most important thing is to get my eye level a couple of inches higher so I don’t have to look up at as many people when interacting with them. I highly doubt anyone is going to look at my legs carefully and judge my proportions unless they know about it, and even then I doubt they can tell if I’m wearing regular pants. Otherwise, I think my baseline stats are pretty typical for a short man.